


Lost on Land

by hedgehodgy



Series: The Sea's Song [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Family, Fluff, Human AU, Innocent Cuteness, One-Shot, Protective Poseidon (Percy Jackson), Royalty AU, a random segment of an extended au i'm writing :), baby Percy :DDD, baby whale :D, mermaid au, percy and poseidon being cute, there probably won't be anything more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26597806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedgehodgy/pseuds/hedgehodgy
Summary: Percy wakes up to a whale's cry on the beach outside his home; he helps, and his father helps, because that's what they do.(See series description for a tiny bit of background info on the AU and any other works - cross posted on Fanfiction.net :D)
Relationships: Percy Jackson & Poseidon
Series: The Sea's Song [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952608
Comments: 9
Kudos: 90





	Lost on Land

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot kind of piece within a much larger universe I've been working on.
> 
> Some basic context: Percy and Sally are/were mermaids and the prince and princess of the sea, but politics ensued and Sally was murdered by the King - her uncle - Oceanus. Percy hides out with the father he never knew, a 'regular' human man called Poseidon, who knows nothing of magic or underwater kingdoms or a royal family with the power of the old, unnamed gods.
> 
> I'm publishing this because it can *kind of* stand alone as its own little thing, it's cute, and I LOVE whales. I've also never really published anything Percy Jackson related (besides very old, very bad fics) and that's literally the only thing I write.
> 
> I won't publish the extended AU, but I will add to this series as and when I deviate from the much larger, much better AU I'm focusing on for PJO (think PJO/Outlander/Assassin's Creed Odyssey, set in Classical Greece, 430BC).
> 
> Hope you enjoy :D

Percy’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a keening, terrified song echoing through the air. He was flailing and rolling out of bed before he could stop himself, or even think, and hit the floor with a jarring thud that jerked him away from the precipice of sleep. He shook his head, cupping his brow as shadowed pain went crashing through him and his soul.

It wasn’t _his_ pain, however, though it still turned Percy’s blood to ice. The song, the fear, the agony – something was calling out for help and that something was near. Instinct siezed him, an instinct that he was _born_ with, that had guided him through his tumultuous childhood and would carry him through his future, he hoped. It was an instinct that connected him to the ocean and all its creatures and one of its creatures _needed_ him. One of his creatures was in pain and Percy reacted naturally.

He was on his feet in a matter of moments, feeling jittery and shaken as if the waves of emotion hitting him were real, physical shock-waves booming through the air. He didn’t care to grab a jacket or shoes or socks, careening out of his room and thudding down the stairs noisily in nothing but his pyjama pants and t-shirt. Through the living room, through the kitchen, to the back door. Percy grabbed at the handle and rattled it frantically, forgetting briefly that it was locked because – _duh,_ it was the middle of the night, it was always locked at night. Percy blinked his clouded eyes until all the things he was forgetting came back to him and reality started to make more clear sense.

_Unlock_ _it, hurry up, get out there!_ Percy yelled at himself. He fumbled for the lock and the ball and chain and was just opening the door a crack – letting in a gust of brutally cold ocean air, sending a chill down Percy’s spine.

He blocked out the discomfort and spared a moment to yell over his shoulder, “Papa! Wake up, Papa, wake up, _c’mon!_ We – have to go do something!”

A thud upstairs immediately followed his cry, which Percy didn’t know how to finish because he still didn’t know what exactly was calling him from outside. He could tell that Poseidon had awakened, however, so Percy threw the back door open all the way – letting it bang loudly against the wall just in case Poseidon was still half-asleep – and racing out of it. In the open air, the song/scream was even louder. Deafening.

There was a large, dark shape on the surf that hadn’t been there a few hours later. Percy knew, because he’d fallen asleep at his window again, staring out at the waters for as long as he’d been able to keep his eyes open (and Poseidon had obviously moved him to his bed, meaning he was gonna get _another_ mini scolding). Percy knew, as well as he knew his own name, that the source of the calling (and the _pain-!)_ meant no harm to him. Though his father and everyone else who knew him would probably say otherwise, Percy knew better than to run head-first into danger for no reason, particularly when it was danger on the borders of his homes.

What awaited Percy on the ice-cold surf was practically the opposite of danger, besides.

It was a calf – a humpback whale, Percy identified in moments – beached and releasing a long, desperate, silent scream that only Percy could hear. He threw himself on to his knees besides the baby, breathlessly whispering, “Oh, my god,”

The humpback calf was young, very young, and smaller than most of her kind at such an age. What she was doing this far north at this time of the year, Percy didn’t know. What she was doing on this beach, he didn’t know. He glanced up and down the dark beach for the calf’s mother in case she was beached, too. But he couldn’t see anything, nor hear anything, nor _sense_ anything, which filled him with even more dread. _How's this happened?_

Finally, Percy reached out a shaking hand for the poor creature, letting it rest on its too-dry side. He took care to be very gentle, in case he startled her or hurt her. “What happened to you?” Percy asked empathetically, feeling himself tear up at the sheer melancholy radiating from the innocent creature.

Her scream had stopped, more of a low keen now. She wasn’t as frightened as she had been seconds earlier, but she _was_ sad – _resigned,_ almost, as if she knew her fate. Percy knew the feeling and felt a fierce beat of denial. _I’m going to help you,_ he decided firmly. _No whales are dying around me, especially not on my beach. Nuh-uh, not happening. You're going to be okay, don't be afraid-_

“Percy!” a familiar voice yelled, distorted by the wind. “Damn it, _Percy?!”_

“Papa!” Percy called back, unable to deny the wave of relief that rushed through him. _Papa knows better than me how to save whales on beaches, I bet. I’ve never seen anything like this before-_

He could see him running from the house, first at a dead-sprint and then slowing down a little when Percy’s form became clearer in the dark. He was still hurrying, though, because Percy could tell that his father was extremely on-edge and was probably about to hit something because he _hated_ not knowing what was going on, especially when it inevitably involved Percy-

“Come here, Percy, now,” he demanded while he still approached.

“Help us,” pleaded Percy, knowing that Poseidon would understand as soon as he realised what it was Percy had run out for, what he was kneeling besides. The newcomer made the whale calf shudder, a gush of air rushing through her blow-hole. Percy hushed her instinctively, running his hand along her side. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s my Papa,” he murmured, just to her. “He’s the best, he’ll know what to do and how to help you, please don't worry,”

Percy could tell when Poseidon realised that was before him when he suddenly halted and let out a half-strangled, _“Huh,”_ kind of sound. Percy threw him a look that was probably hard to distinguish in their lack of light, but Poseidon got the message anyway. He joined Percy on his knees in the sand besides the calf – though instead of reaching out for the helpless creature, he reached for Percy. Percy wasn’t expecting the touch so Poseidon managed to wrap an arm around his chest and slide him back across the sand, pulling him away from the calf.

“The fuck?” Percy’s father said over his head, as Percy gasped, affronted, and wriggled insistently in his grip. “How the hell’d you get up here, huh, little one?”

“Lemme go, Papa,” insisted Percy. “We need to help-,”

He felt Poseidon shake his head. “No, no, don’t touch it, not yet. It’s a wild animal, Perce-,”

“I know what she is!” Percy snapped. “We have to do something to help her!”

“And we will, chill out! But right now I’m still not quite awake and I’m trying to take things one at a time, so I need you not to touch the beached whale – the wild animal – and listen to me for one sec. I think that's the least you can do for giving me such a bad scare, kid,”

Poseidon’s arm tightened around Percy’s chest, which Percy tried to find annoying but honestly it was nice. The air was practically _icy_ out here and Percy's pyjamas weren't very thick, while Poseidon was like a warm, walking furnace and he was fighting not to nuzzle against him to leech at his temperature.

He forced himself to nod and concede to his father’s wishes because he’d learnt by now how quickly Poseidon could go from 0-100 – right now he was saying ‘don’t touch the whale’, but in a minute he could easily be dragging Percy inside and making him stay totally away. “Hurry and help her,” Percy begged in lieu of not being able to immediately soothe the distressed calf himself. “She’s terrified, she’s stuck, Papa-,”

“I know,” Poseidon gave Percy a squeeze and lifted his other arm to his head, brushing back Percy's hair which made his eyes flutter sleepily. He'd curse the day that Poseidon had figured out the tips and tricks to making Percy relax and fall asleep, because he _always_ used them and it always worked. “I am gonna help, Perce, we’re gonna save her. Just one step at a time, yeah?”

Poseidon waited until Percy had nodded against before loosening his grip and shifting away. He gave Percy a pointed look that said ‘ _stay where you are_ ’ while he crawled forwards on his knees to take a look at the calf himself. Percy could only guess at what he was thinking as he ran his hands carefully across the calf’s hide, just as he’d been doing before, murmuring soothing nonsense that came to him with ease. Poseidon then rose to his feet and started to walk around the calf’s beached body – looking for injuries, Percy assumed – at which Percy saw an opportunity and swooped in to grasp it.

He shuffled up to the calf’s eye, which looked as if it were filled with tears. “You’re okay,” Percy reassured her, brushing away the sand circling the eye with the most delicate touch he could muster. “You’re okay, pretty thing,” _You can relax, please, you’re not going to die. I won’t let you die. Please stop crying._

Her emotions were still giving Percy a bit of a headache, a splash of nausea, and the urge to shiver no matter how hard he tried not to. He could have shut them out if he wanted to, he supposed, but somehow that felt like the wrong thing to do. When Poseidon finished his quick circle of the calf’s body – hopping over her tail still dipped in the water – he glanced at Percy with a mixture of bemusement and resignation.

“She’s not been here long,” Percy spoke before Poseidon could scold. “If we help her soon, she should survive,”

Poseidon blinked but didn’t seem to doubt Percy’s statement. He paused a moment before nodding and crouching down next to Percy again – his hand mirrored Percy’s, resting near her eye, fingers gently probing her thick skin as he examined it. “Right,” he muttered, letting out a breath. He turned to his son, “This is what we’re going to do,”

Percy’s heart soared, turning to give his father his full attention.

“I need you to run inside and grab my cell-phone,” said Poseidon. Percy's face fell. “And a bucket, and – and a _coat,_ while you’re at it. We’re gonna need some reinforcements and a way to keep her wet, and I won’t have you getting sick in the meantime, kid,”

“Aw, why do I have to go?” demanded Percy, affronted at the thought of being sent away. If Poseidon was basically trying to trick him to make him stay away from the whale and indoors where it was warm-

“Because, I’m not leaving you out here on your own while I go and get ‘em, therefore you’re getting the job. The faster you are, the faster you can return,” Poseidon said sternly. “My phone, a bucket, a coat for yourself and – some shoes and socks while you’re at it!”

Percy was already skittering away midway through his sentence, spurred on by the reminder that he _had_ to return with those few things, therefore Poseidon _couldn’t_ be tricking him. He retraced his and Poseidon’s footprints in the sand as he sprinted back to the house; he didn’t bother to shake off his feet before he entered the kitchen, treading sand all the way through the living room and up the stairs and into Poseidon’s room, where his cell-phone sat on his pillow amongst discarded, messy blankets. He spared a moment to think about coats and saw an alternative right in front of him – one of Poseidon’s old college hoodies, draped across his bed’s footboard. Percy tugged it on hastily as he returned to the stairs, trying to think of where the Styx they kept the puke bucket.

Three minutes later, Percy was running back to his father’s side. He carried a bucket and a torch, both of which he’d found in the little cupboard under the sink. He chucked Poseidon’s cell-phone at him before hurrying to the surf, scooping his bucket through the water to fill it. He noticed Poseidon staring at him as he was lifting the bucket of saltwater over the calf’s tail, pouring it out to wet the skin that had already dried in the wind.

“That’s some coat,” Poseidon grumbled, sniffing a little as the oversized sleeves of _his_ hoodie fell over Percy’s hand and became quite soaked.

“Use your phone,” Percy retorted, filling the bucket again.

Poseidon rolled his eyes but brought his phone to his ear, the ringing tone echoing across the empty beach under the howl of the wind. Percy busied himself with keeping the calf wet and muttering Greek to her, patting her when he could, glad that she seemed far more comfortable now – well, _‘comfortable’,_ as in she didn’t mind Poseidon’s presence and was reluctantly less terrified, daring to even be a tiny bit hopeful.

_We can’t let her down,_ Percy thought passionately, stepping around to pour water over the calf’s nose. He kept working and glancing at Poseidon until the ringing tone stopped and he heard a distant, groggy voice on the line.

“Thetis, hey, sorry to wake you,” said Poseidon, shoulders sagging in minute relief which Percy was proud to be able to identify - few people were as good at reading his father's emotions and body-language, he'd been told by all the people who knew him. “I know it’s early, I know – no, nothing’s wrong, with us at least. You need to get here, though, there’s a whale on my beach,”

He paused for a moment while Thetis presumably tried to wake herself up and process what he’d said.

_“Yes,_ a whale, it’s been beached a couple meters up the surf. Percy must have seen it from his window and damn-near gave me a heart attack running out of the house to help it,” Poseidon shot Percy a look that Percy responded to with a sweet, forced smile, before turning his attention back to the calf. “It’s a humpback, I’m pretty sure, only a calf. About thirteen feet long, so very young, which makes me think the mother is either very near. If she's on the beach too, we can't see her…No, I had no idea, they shouldn’t be this far north at this time of year. Stranger things have happened though, right?...Yeah, I think we’ve got a good chance at helping her, but we’ll need some more hands. She’s not so far up the beach so if we can get enough people to push her _back…Yes,_ Tee, Percy’s already on it with a bucket,”

They spoke for only a few minutes longer before hanging up, with the agreement that Thetis would be here in fifteen minutes and would make as many calls as she could on her way here (thank god for the convenience of hands-off cell phone modes nowadays). Poseidon chucked his phone back at Percy to keep in his hoodie pocket and grabbed the torch that had been discarded, switching it on and staking it in the sand to provide their little area with some light – as well as to act as a beacon for when help got here, Percy guessed.

“Let me do some of that,” Poseidon said, rising to his feet with a wince. He took the bucket from Percy with one hand and used the other to pull up his hood, keeping his head and ears warm. “You talk to her and let me know if you see anything wrong with her. Any abnormalities, any open wounds-,”

“I got it, Papa,” Percy said. He already knew that the calf was physically okay, nothing injuring her, but he couldn’t exactly say without explaining how he knew. He imagined Poseidon’s reaction to the claim ‘ _oh, I’m in-tune with all creatures of the ocean, I feel their pain, I know she’s not physically hurt, only terrified_ ’ and shook his head to himself.

Percy sat near the calf’s eye again and scooped away the sand that was packed underneath her, hoping to give her a little reprieve and to get a look at the side of her underbelly. Poseidon went about wetting her far quicker than Percy had, saying something about getting towels from the house when they could, wetting them and covering her to be a bit more efficient. Percy heard him muttering as he examined her again, looking for any identifying markings or any indications that she had been tagged. His search came up empty and it became a simple waiting game.

Neither of them were very good at _waiting._

“What were you even doing up?” Poseidon eventually asked, as if only just realising that Percy had yet to offer any proper explanation, distracted as they both had been.

“I just woke up,” said Percy, not-quite lying. “I didn't have another nightmare, I promise. I just woke up for no reason and then I looked out my window,”

“And you could tell immediately that it was a whale and not some hunk of junk, huh?” Poseidon questioned.

Percy narrowed his eyes and tried to think of an excuse, “I – I saw her flippers, and her blowhole. I didn’t know if she’d been here long and if she was nearly dead so I thought I really needed to hurry-,”

“Okay, okay, you’re not in trouble,” Poseidon put down the bucket to kneel down next to Percy for a moment, touching his back. “You’ve probably saved this poor thing a couple hours of suffering, at least, and that could make all the difference. Just – maybe don’t panic straight away, if there’s ever a next time. Wake me up before you go running out of the house when it’s dark. In fact, _never_ run out of the house unless it’s with me, I thought that was obvious,” Poseidon frowned, as if he wasn’t sure whether now was a time to be all parental or not-

Percy smiled sheepishly, lifting his shoulders. “Sorry,” he said genuinely, because he _could_ imagine what kind of panic Poseidon must have felt at Percy's unexplained wake-up call. He knew he'd be equally unnerved if their roles were reversed. “I won’t again, promise,”

“Good. Not that we _want_ this to happen again, right?” Poseidon patted Percy’s back and ruffled back his windswept hair, flashing him his special smile that he seemed to only reserve for Percy – it was small, but bright, and so soft and warmed up his whole face. Percy smiled back, spirits lifting.

The next few minutes were a strange brand of ‘fun’ – Percy and his father spent it keeping the calf as comfortable and well as they could manage, taking it in turns to use the bucket and to talk to the calf, their words having a noticeable effect on her stress levels. Percy's headache faded as her fear and panic and anxiety continued to fade. By the time Thetis arrived, her slim figure hurrying across the beach towards them, Percy’s teeth were chattering but he felt satisfied and ready to get this poor baby back in the water, to hopefully reunite her with her mother.

He felt a strange mix of envy and melancholy hit him in his chest, which he shoved away before he could wallow on it.

“Good morning,” Thetis called, only _mildly_ sarcastic. Percy was pleased to see that she carried a briefcase of some kind with her, which he could only guess held something marine-biology-related and probably very useful. “What a nice start to the day, huh? Oh, look at the poor thing. Talk me through what's happened,”

Poseidon took the bucket back from Percy to walk around the calf with Thetis, rehashing details he had already given and going through a few more about what he thought they could do. “I made some calls,” Thetis said, standing out of the way of the water Poseidon was pouring. “You’re lucky everyone at the aquarium _loves_ me, Po. I managed to wake up about five people and they’re all on their way, they’ll be here within the hour. I’ll keep calling because I feel like we’re gonna need at least eight of us, probably more?”

“If not ten or twelve,” Poseidon said, letting out a breath. “It may not be a big job but I don’t want to distress her, so the smoother the transfer, the better. Tell me that’s a tag you’ve got,”

Thetis lifted the briefcase. “I always keep one in the car in case of a beaching like this, it saves time. I've got a scoop too but it's made for dolphins, I think someone's swinging by the aquarium to grab one of the larger ones...,”

_Marine biologists_ , Percy thought, shaking his head fondly as Poseidon asked to see the tag and check it’d actually apply to their humpback calf. _They’re odd, even for humans, but they’re my favourite._

A minute or two later, Poseidon was heading back to the house to grab more things, giving Percy the strict instruction to listen and obey Thetis – to which Percy replied, “I always do, Papa, geez,” and earned himself an eyeroll. Thetis took over the water-pouring but spared a moment to crouch by the calf and stroke her nose.

“This kind of thing happens far too often, and I _hate_ it,” she sighed, sounding sad. “I’m glad you spotted her, Percy, she's very lucky,”

“Yeah,” agreed Percy, though he was blushing at the implicit praise. “I think she’s okay, you know, I think she knows we’re gonna save her,”

Thetis’s brow lifted with her smile. “You think so? Well, she is calm, especially for a calf…I’d say you’re right. Don’t worry, baby, we’re gonna get you back to your mommy as soon as we can, okay?” she said to the calf.

Percy touched the whale’s side and closed his eyes briefly, letting the reassurance be passed from Thetis through himself and to the calf’s centre. He felt her process it, felt her heart twitch when she understood it, and then she let out a big huff through her blowhole that seemed to Percy like a cheer of some kind. Thetis wasn’t expecting it and jumped back with a little yelp, quick transformed into a bright laugh. She filled the bucket again.

Time passed at an immeasurable pace, Percy being so distracted with all that was going on. They got wet towels to cover the calf, leaving at least two of them free to start digging in a trench in the sand from beneath the calf’s body to the surf just past her tail. Percy, Poseidon and Thetis switched shifts, rotating to allow each other a chance to keep talking to the calf. Thetis kept making calls, two more people waking up to answer and agreeing to come down and help. As the hour passed, the sun rising with it, their volunteers arrived steadily. Percy recognised them all as staff at the aquarium – Whitney the dolphin-handler, Omar the intern, Lacey who only ever took care of the small exhibit animals but that was alright, she still had the spirit.

Soon enough, there were thirteen of them on the beach, Percy included. They brought more torches, more wet towels, a proper water-proof coat for Percy (Poseidon had been pleased with that which meant Omar was probably getting a raise-) and a scoop had been brought from the aquarium from one of the security guards who was just getting off his shift. The scoop was meant for a full-grown manatee or walrus, but it was large enough for them to start wriggling it underneath the calf’s large body. It was a good job she was small for her age, else the task would have been near-impossible without heavy machinery. They struggled as it was, and all thirteen of them only managed to get about half of the calf’s body over the scoop.

“That’ll do,” Poseidon panted, brushing sand from his hands. He was naturally in charge of their little 'mission', though Thetis - in her role as best friend - had been teasingly trying to usurp him. Their bickering was only natural, Percy would have been surprised if they'd been fully cooperative no matter the severity. “Okay, I want to see if we can start moving her back a little, get her mostly in the water at least. Then we’ll check her over and hopefully the tide will do the rest of the hard work for us as he give a final pull. Everyone grab on to something, spread out as evenly as possible – Percy, can you keep talking to her?”

“Uh-huh,” Percy nodded; he’d been doing that this whole time anyway, staying near the whale’s head to whisper to her who everyone was, what they were doing, how they were going to help. She responded to him eagerly, staying calm and compliant despite many foreign hands touching her. When one of the helpers commented on how stoic she was being and how it could be a worrying sign, she flapper her fins and blew out of her blowhole again. She was a smart little calf, and she trusted Percy implicitly.

“We’re not gonna let you down,” Percy promised her, keeping his hand resting on her head. “They’re gonna start pulling you back, now, trying to put you in the water. Don’t freak out,”

Poseidon did a three-second countdown before, together, the group gave a mighty heave. The calf reacted in panic, which had been expected even with Percy's efforts, flapping her fins and opening her mouth in a cry none of the humans could hear. Percy hushed her the best he could, keeping his hand on her as she was shifted back a couple of inches. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and Poseidon counted them down again to repeat the process.

They worked like so, moving the calf further and further back, inches at a time. They paused every couple of tries to check her over again and scoop the sand and throw some more water and evaluate whether they were still on the right course of action. Though progress seemed slow, doing what they were doing was still the fastest option they had; it was faster than calling any other marine facilities for a proper-sized scoop (which would take hours to arrive), and since the calf was handling all the erratic movement well, remaining impressively calm all throughout even with her occasional flail.

Eventually, after what felt like hours of tugging and grunting, the calf was all the way in the water, right up to the tip of her nose. She wasn’t yet in deep enough water to swim out herself, but it was progress. The group stepped back and cheered (not so loudly, so as to not spook the calf) and exchanged high-fives, taking a quick break before the final push.

Percy stayed where he was, holding his hands underneath the calf’s jaw. He realised suddenly that now that she was in the water, he could help _properly_. He was already focusing, picturing the locked treasure in the centre of his soul where he hid his power away. He opened it just barely, letting enough tangible power seep through and pool in his fingertips. It would be enough to manipulate the current and tide, but not enough to alert Oceanus of where he was; Percy was going to be careful nonetheless, thus his current quiet, still, almost meditative state.

Thetis and Poseidon both took a moment each to kneel by Percy’s side, exchanging a few words with him and checking he was alright, though they were both equally distracted and didn't seem to notice how distant Percy's mind was. There was more important stuff for them all to focus on, after all. Their job was nearly done.

Soon enough the calf was declared still fit and well and ready to move by Poseidon, and the tracker was attached to her back with suckers. It would fall off in the next twenty-four hours or so, and hopefully by then they would see some indication that the calf had found her mother again, which would mean all was well. If it appeared that she _hadn’t_ found her mother, a team would be sent out to further monitor the calf on the water; they would do all they could to keep the calf healthy and well in that time, if not find a way to guide mother and calf back together again.

“This is it, guys,” called Poseidon. “Let’s get this baby back where she belongs,”

“Don’t worry,” whispered Percy to the calf, pushing back a pang of unreasonable envy. “I’m gonna do all the work. I need you to be strong and do your best to find your mama for me – you need your mama, she’ll take care of you until you’re big enough to take care of yourself. Trust me, losing her too soon is...it's bad. It hurts, it's the worst kind of hurt in the world. I should know,”

The calf let out a keen that might have been a sound of agreement, but Percy couldn’t be sure. He smiled, settling on his knees with the water lapping at his waist. The cold had long since stopped being uncomfortable.

Another countdown – the final one, everyone hoped – and Percy followed this one like before. Only this time, _he_ was helping to move the calf, doing more work than anyone one else though they didn’t know it. He closed his eyes and focused on the water, manipulating it, twisting it around the calf’s underbelly – as if it were its own scoop – and gently pushing. Like the tide, the calf was pulled back by the strength of his current, her body twisting as she registered there was depth beneath her. The volunteers and Poseidon and Thetis jumped back, trying to avoid her flippers and churning mass. Percy ended up as the last person still touching the calf, keeping a hand under her nose and wading thigh-deep into the water until she disappeared under the surface and had full autonomy again. She was still visible under the water, and they all watched with grins as she twirled, tested her flippers, and began to swim.

“We did it!” one of the volunteers squealed.

Loud, unrestrained cheers rose from the group this time – they hopped around and hugged and laughed and joked. Percy stayed where he was in the water until arms wrapped around him from behind and swung him around; he didn’t need to look up at the person’s face, recognising Poseidon’s tattooed skin anywhere.

“Can you believe it?” Percy grinned up at his father, wrapping cold fingers around his wrist. “We did that! We saved her, she’s okay, did you see how healthy she was-?”

Poseidon squeezed him against his chest and nudged him forwards, pushing him towards the surf. “She did amazing – as did you, my little cetologist,” he beamed back down, his smile so wide it looked as if it was going to break his face. Percy giggled, though then shied back a little as they reached dry land. Their group swarmed them, pulling them into a little group celebration. Percy stayed glued to his father, never comfortable in cramped quarters even if he _was_ only surrounded by friends. Poseidon didn’t seem to mind, holding Percy very near, warming him up.

“Alright, alright!” Thetis called through the noise after a couple more seconds of elated congratulations, hand-shakes and back-pats. “Alright, everyone, yes – that was _amazing,_ but now it’s back to business. Who wants to head straight to the aquarium with me? Omar? Theresa? Great, we’re gonna get straight on tracking her movements from there,”

“I’d open my doors to everyone for breakfast and coffee if not for my empty cupboards,” added Poseidon, his light joke drawing a couple of chuckles. “I’m gonna cover everyone’s cafeteria bills for the next month instead and figure out a couple of other treats – we can’t thank you enough for coming out here to help. Let’s hope we made a real good difference,”

There was a smattering of applause that made Percy’s soul feel light; he even joined in, feeling jittery and excited. Or maybe the jitters were just a result of the cold settling in and a combination of adrenaline with exhaustion. If it wasn’t for Poseidon half-holding him up, he might have swayed where he stood.

“Okay, you two,” Thetis bounced up to them, punching Poseidon's shoulde lightly. “Get inside and get warm, you guys have been at this the longest,”

“I won’t argue with that,” Poseidon said, rubbing Percy’s shaking shoulder. “We’re having hot showers and the last of the oatmeal. We’ll join you in the aquarium in a few more hours-,”

“That’s fine, you guys just take your time,” Thetis gave them both a pointed look, and for some reason focused on Percy. As if he was gonna nag Poseidon and rush him through their morning routine to get them to the aquarium sooner. _Pft,_ thought Percy, sarcastic. _I’d never do that_. “I mean it, now, get inside. You look like a popsicle, Percy,”

She swooped in to give Percy a big, wet kiss on the cheek, which had him squealing a little and wriggling away. Poseidon tightened his grip on him to keep him still, forcing him to endure Thetis’s affection. Percy felt the reverberations of his chuckle against his back.

“I’ll see you both later,” Thetis snickered, pulling back.

“Bye, Thetis,” Poseidon added. He shook Percy’s pliant body. “Say ‘goodbye’, son, c’mon now,”

“Bye, Tee,” Percy exaggerated his tone exponentially, relishing in the light laughter it drew and the way it made him feel. Happy, liked, appreciated, safe. Poseidon suddenly picked him up, propping him on his hip. Percy snuggled against him, leeching off his warmth now that he knew he could let himself. The calf was on her way and there was little else they could do for her now, besides monitor her. And that wouldn’t turn out anything for a while.

_Shower time,_ thought Percy, eager to feel warm again.

A chorus of ‘ _see you later, guys_!’ rose from the group of volunteers as they walked away, back to their home, which felt so weird now because it had been dark the last time they had been heading toward it. Now the sun was up and Percy figured that if nothing had happened, they’d only just be waking up right now. Percy was a mix of wired and sleepy, torn between not having enough sleep and having too much adrenaline in his system. _Man, I just want to lie on the sofa and relax for a bit. I want a hot shower and a cuddle with Papa and then I want to go to the aquarium and do more work. And then I can call up Auntie Hestia and tell her all about it and-_

“I’m so proud of you,” Poseidon suddenly said as they were nearly at the house.

“Really?” asked Percy, leaning his head against his shoulder. He wasn’t complaining, but- “Why?”

“Why?” repeated Poseidon, chuckling slightly. “Because you were amazing this morning, my little cetologist. You spotted the whale, you were the first to reach her and comfort her, you helped keep her wet and comfortable – and I don’t think she’d have been so calm as we were moving her if you weren’t there. You’ve an amazing way with animals, you know? The way you commit yourself to helping them is impressive, especially at your age,”

Percy’s cheeks grew redder and redder, so unable to take the compliments that he had to turn his face and hide it in his father’s shoulder. “Shut up,” he mumbled, shaking his head slightly. He liked the compliments, of course, but he just didn’t know what to do when he was getting them and…

Poseidon chuckled again and twisted his head, pressing a kiss behind Percy’s ear. “Hop down,” he said. “You’re jumping straight in the shower – go, go on, use the downstairs bathroom. I’ll go grab you some clean pyjamas,”

“Can you bring down my blanket, too?” asked Percy, un-attaching himself from Poseidon’s side to step into the kitchen. The back door had been left open and the whole house felt as cold as outside, even once Poseidon closed the door behind them. He let Poseidon poke him in the back until he was hurrying in the direction of the bathroom.

“I’ll get your blanket and turn on the central heating,” promised Poseidon. “Here, let me fix the water temperature, you need warming up but I don’t want you burning yourself-,”

So Poseidon entered the bathroom and turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature to a bit higher than Percy usually had it, then left him to shower. Percy stripped off and dumped his wet, sandy clothes on the floor, eagerly jumping beneath the stream of hot water. Its effect was beautiful, warm and soothing, and it only got better as Percy scrubbed all the sand off his skin. He watched all the grains disappear down the drain, seeing shapes in all the swirliness, distracting him until Poseidon knocked on the door.

Percy sat down in the tub, drawing his knees to his chest, then called to let him enter. Poseidon draped a set of pyjamas and a fresh towel over the closed toilet bowl. “How’s it going?” he asked, crouching next to the tub.

“Bit warmer,” Percy told him; his skin was flushed but his bones still felt cold. He stayed huddled directly underneath the shower’s spray, not wanting the bathroom’s cool air to touch his skin. Water poured over his face and into his eyes but it didn't phase him in the slightest. He'd grown up underwater, after all. “I don’t wanna get out,”

“You can stay in ‘til the house warms up, don’t worry. I’m not cruel,” said Poseidon, sticking his hands under the water to clear them of sand. “Pass me the shampoo, I’ll wash your hair,”

So Poseidon washed Percy’s hair for him, massaging his scalp until Percy’s head was drooping and he felt painfully tired. Poseidon made him wake up, however, by tipping his hand back beneath the water, rising his hair, and telling him to clean his body properly. He went off for his own shower after that. Knowing that Poseidon wasn’t gonna take long, Percy tried to speed up his own process, cleaning himself and trying to stretch out his time under the water for as long as possible. The shower and bath and any form of pool had always been his 'happy place', which _sounded_ stupid. No one would ever fully understand why; no one knew that they were the places that made Percy feel closest to his childhood home, and his mother.

Soon, though, Percy didn’t think he could reason sitting in the shower for any longer, so he reached for the taps and moved in rapid succession – turning the water off, hopping out, and snatching up the big, fluffy towel his father had brought. He still started shivering again almost immediately.

Percy couldn’t get into his pyjamas fast enough, glad that Poseidon had chosen some of the warmest and thickest ones. On the sofa in the living room, there was a few extra treats – Percy’s plain blue blanket, his comfort item since he’d arrived in this world and in his father's life, and a pair of thick thermal socks that were probably Poseidon’s because they went halfway up his shins. Percy tugged them on and hopped on to the sofa, bundling himself beneath his blanket.

Okay, _now_ he felt better. Percy’s eyes closed against his will.

“What’s this? Napping without me? Scoot over, kiddo, geez,”

Poseidon smelled fresh and felt even _warmer_ than before as Percy obediently made room for his father to sit next to him and wrap his arms around him, sliding him on to his lap. Percy burrowed as close to him as he could, hiding his face against his neck.

“I’m tired,” Percy mumbled, just in case Poseidon hadn’t figured that out yet.

“I know,” said Poseidon. “I am, too. Are you warm enough?”

Percy rubbed his cheek against Poseidon’s collar, tucking his head beneath his chin, arms wrapping messily around his sides. He felt Poseidon fixing his blanket around him before settling his arms around his back. “Yeah-huh,” said Percy, eyes closed. “Nice ‘n warm,” _And_ _comfy. Safe. Happy._

“Go to sleep, my darling,” Poseidon whispered, reaching for the switch to recline their end of the sofa, lying them both back. A ghost of a kiss brushed across his hair, secret and affectionate and special. “You deserve a good nap. I’ll wake us up to go to the aquarium later, hm?”

Percy didn’t reply, already fast asleep in his father’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Big disclaimer that I have no idea how beached whales are saved or anything else to do with marine biology. I've watched some whale documentaries, I've got a whale tattoo, I love them but I'm no expert. I did some research to get at least a shred of realism/accurarcy in there, but still. I'm more of a historian lmao.
> 
> I'm curious as to whether the PJO fandom is even thriving right now or if anyone else is as ready to die for Poseidon being a soft (though OOC) father to Percy as I am. I love it. I love family fluff, I love over-protective fathers, I love Percy doing stupid shit and Poseidon trying to keep him alive while hurting anyone who even looks at him wrong. Thus I also adore Kratos and Atreus, Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Bruce Wayne and his Robins, Tony and Peter. Father-son fluffiness is just- *happy dying noises*
> 
> My characterisations of Percy and Poseidon are almost certainly off and OOC because it's been *so* long since I read PJO and I feel like I *can't* read them now because they've become my own characters in a way. I'm deep down my AU spirals but I'm not gonna apologise. I thrive in this shit. I hope yall can forgive me lmao.
> 
> Anyways I hope this was relatively enjoyable. It's random and probably doesn't make sense. Feel free to ask any questions about anything to do with the AU and context you're curious about. This is a pretty fleshed out AU so I've got a good bit of content.
> 
> My tumblr is @hedgehodgy :)
> 
> Hope everyone is safe and well and coping alright with the state of the world right now.


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